SPECIAL TOPIC: FATHER

The OT introduces the intimate familial metaphor of God as Father (see Special
Topic: The Fatherhood of God):

1. the nation of Israel is often described as YHWH’s “son” (cf. Hos.
11:1; Mal. 3:17)

2. even earlier in Deuteronomy the analogy of God as Father is used
(1:31)

3. in Deuteronomy 32 Israel is called “his children” and God is called
“your father”

4. this analogy is stated in Ps. 103:13 and developed in Ps. 68:5 (the
father of orphans)

5. it was common in the prophets (cf. Isa. 1:2; 63:8; Israel as son,
God as Father, 63:16; 64:8; Jer. 3:4,19; 31:9).

Jesus spoke Aramaic, which means that many of the places where “Father”
appears, it is the Greek Pater, and may reflect the Aramaic Abba (cf. Mark 14:36). This
familial term “Daddy” or “Papa,” reflects Jesus’ intimacy with the Father; His
revealing this to His followers also encourages our own intimacy with the
Father. The term “Father” was used sparingly in the OT for YHWH, but Jesus uses
it often and pervasively. It is a major evidence of believers’ new
relationship with God through Christ (cf. Matthew 6:9).